Pistol flash-light.



Mig-2 SR H. HYMAN.

PISTOL FLASH LIGHT.

ABPLIOATION FILED Nov.2a.191s.

1,098,628, Patented June 2, 1914.

AAAI

Ilv- '3i UNITED STATES! PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY I-IYMAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO INTER/STATE ELECTRIC NOVELTY CO., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PISTOL FLASH-LIGHT.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, HENRY HYMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pistol Flash- Lights, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a pocket Hash light in imitation of a pistol and of simplified, durable and convenient construction.

The present invention pertains more particularly to certain improvements on the pistol flash light made the subject of an application for Letters Patent filed June l0, 1913, Serial Number 772,780, said improvements relating to the position of the battery terminals and the means for completing the circuit through the lamp on the pull of the trigger, it being highly desirable that this circuit shall be completed in an effective manner and without complication of moving contacts each time the trigger is pulled and held in its rearward position.

The casing of the Hash light comprises two shells or half sections, hinged together at one edge and adapted to be latched together at the opposite edge to complete the casing, and said casing in its handle portion is adapted to detachably receive a dry or semi-dry battery, which may be replenished at any time desired. The lamp is detachably secured at the outer end of the barrel portion of the pistol casing, and the trigger is provided within the casing with a conductor to be placed in electrical connection, when the trigger is pulled, with a special conductor leading from the battery terminal and to engage the lamp. yOne of the battery terminals is in electrical connection with the pistol casing, and another specially provided conductor, this being the one engaged by the conductor on the trigger, is in electrical connection with the other battery terminal and in addition to performing its required duties as a conductor, aids in holding the battery in position within the pistol casing. lith the arrangement of conductors provided by me, the battery may be quickly applied Within the casing with the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 28, 1913.

Patented June 2, 1914.

Serial No. 803,473.

customary short terminal thereof extending rearwardly and the folded-over usual long terminal thereof left in its customary condition, this placing of the battery within the casing having the advantage of allo-wing the label on the battery, as batteries are ordinarily made and labeled, facing outwardly. The construction and arrangement presented by me also results in the battery being very securely and effectively held within the pistol casing, Y

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pistol flash light constructed in accordance with and embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a front end view of the same; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same, with the two parts of the casing of the Hash light opened outwardly from each other, the lamp being carried by one half-section of the casing and the battery and trigger by the other halfsection thereof; Fig. l is a longitudinal section, partly broken away, through a portion of the Hash light, showing the relation of the conductor carried by the trigger to the lamp when the two parts of the casing are closed together and the trigger is in its normal or non-operated position; Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section through the flash light about on the dotted line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section through a portion of the casing of the Hash light on the dotted line 6 6 of Fig. 1 and is presented to illustrate more particularly the latch at the upper side of the casing for releasably locking` the two sections of the casing of the Hash light together, and Fig. 7 is a detached perspective view of one of the conductors forming a part of the pistol mechanism,

In the drawings, lO designates the eXterior casing of the Hash light as a whole, and this casing is, as shown, formed of two substantially corresponding longitudinal sections 11, l2 hinged together, as at 13, at their lower edges and provided at their upper edges with a suitable latch for locking the two sections together, said latch comprising a spring bar 14 secured to the inner upper side of the section 12 by means of a rivet 15 and having at its forward end an opening 16 adapted to, upon the closing of the two sections of the casing together, snap upon and receive the lower end of a stud 17 secured to the section 11 of the casing. The spring' bar 14 has secured to it an upwardly extending fnger-piece 18, which, when depressed, will carry the forward end of the spring 14 and aperture 16 therein from the lower end of the stud 17 and permit the two Sections of the casing to be opened outwardly on the hinge 13, to the position shown in Fig. 3. The casing sections 11, 12 when closed together present an outline in imitation of a pistol or revolver having a handle portion and a barrel portion, the section 11 having pivotally secured to it a trigger 19 protected by a guard 20 riveted to said section. The casing sections 11, 12 are hollow sheet metal matching shells, and within these shells is formed a chamber 21, in the handle portion, to receive a suitable battery 22, while within the barrel portion of the shells is created a chamber 23 to receive the upper end of the battery 22, the conductor terminals 24, 25 extending therefrom, the conductor 26 carried upon but insulated from the upper end of the trigger 19, a rigid support 27 for the battery terminal 24, a spring conductor 28 of special character engaging the battery terminal 25, and a support 29 of insulating material for said conductor 28.

The support 29 of vulcanized liber or the like is held in place by a sheet metal clip 30 fastened to the inner surface of the section 11 by means of a pin 31 by which the trigger 19 is secured in place. The conductor 28 is formed from a strip of sheet metal and generally speaking extends horizontally, its forward end being bent upwardly, as at 32, and secured by a rivet or otherwise to the insulating support 29, and its rear end being bent slightly upwardly, as at 33, to engage the long battery terminal 25, as shown by dotted lines in F ig. 3, and having at one edge a downwardly extending flange 34 to engage the side edge of said battery terminal and aid in confining the upper portion of the battery 22 within its chamber. The conductor 28 isin constant electrical connection with the battery terminal 25. I preferably secure upon the top or inner rear end of the conductor 28 a button or piece of non-conducting material, such as vulcanized fiber, 35, to prevent under all circumstances an electrical connection being established between the conductor 28 and the metal pistol casing. The battery terminal 24 is located in the upper rear or what may be termed the hammer portion of the casing, and it is the short terminal commonly found on small batteries intended for flash lights; and this terminal when applying a battery' to its chamber in the casing I deflect rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, and insert the same edgewise into a recess 36 in the metal strip 27 which is riveted to and consequently in electrical engagement with the shell section 11.

lVhile I deflect the rear terminal 24 of the battery in order to secure its engagement with the conducting support 27, I do not modify the location or position of the usual terminal 25 found on flash light batteries, and one of the purposes of my invention is to modify the battery terminals to the smallest possible extent in applying a battery to the pistol casing, while another object of the invention is to be enabled to so place the battery within said casing that the label side thereof faces outwardly during the introduction of the battery to the casing.

A further purpose of the invention is to have the battery 22 securely held within the casing, and this I accomplish by the engagement of the deflected battery terminal 24 with the recess in the support 27 and by the presence of the flange 34 on the conductor 28 at the outer edge of the terminal 25.

The lower portion of the casing or shell of the flash light rather snugly receives a battery 22, as shown in Fig. 3, and when said battery is placed within the casing it will be quite firmly held therein but be capable of being readily removed therefrom upon the opening of the casing. The trigger 19 is formed from a piece of sheet metal and mounted on the pin 31, on which is placed a coiled spring 37 which acts to throw the lower end of the trigger forwardly, and hence force must be overcome on pulling the trigger to flash the light. Upon the upper end of the trigger is formed a rearwardly extending plate 38, having lips 39 to clip upon the strip of vulcanized liber or other insulating material 40 upon which the conductor 26, hereinbefore referred to, may be secured by riveting or other convenient way. The conductor 26 has a vertical forward end 41 and an upwardly deflected end 42, and the end 42 being normally in near relation to the lower front portion of the conductor 28 and being adapted to be placed in electrical connection with said conductor when the trigger 19 is pulled. The outer end of the casing section 12 is provided with a socket 43 to receive the lamp 44 in a familiar manner, and when the Parts of the casing are together the terminal 45 at the inner end of the lamp stands in near relation to but free of the forward end 41 of the conductor 26, as shown in Fig. 4. When the trigger 19 is pulled rearwardly it rocks the forward end 41 of the conductor 26 into'electrical engagement with the terminal 45 of the lamp and turns the end 42 of said conductor upwardly against the conductor 28 which engages the battery terminal 25 and thus completes the circuit by which the lamp is lighted. The front end of the conductor 26 is bent upwardly so as to form a spring engagement with the lamp terminal 45, said conductor having a simultaneous engagement with the lamp terminal and also with the conductor 28 (which for convenience of identification may be termed an intermediate conductor) leading from the battery terminal 25.

What I claim as my invention and desire to/secure by Letters-Patent, is:

g/ 1. A flash-light comprising an exterior metallic hollow casing in sections to be opened from each other and imitating the handle and barrel portions of a piston, a trigger connected with one of said sections, an electric lamp in said barrel portion, a battery in said handle portion having one terminal in electrical connection with said casing, a separate and independent conductor at one end in engagement with the other terminal of said battery and insulated from said casing, and a conductor carried on and insulated from said trigger and having, on the pull of the trigger, a forward end to engage the lamp and a rear end to engage said intermediate conductor.

2. A flash light comprising an exterior metallic hollow casing in sections to be opened from each other and imitating the handle and barrel portions of a pistol, a trigger connected with one of said sections, an electric lamp in said barrel portion, a

vbattery in said handle portion having one terminal in electrical connection with said casing, an intermediate conductor at one end in engagement with the other terminal of said battery and insulated from said casing, and a conductor carried on and insulated from said trigger and having, on the pull of the trigger, a forward end to engage the lamp and a rear end to engage said intermediate conductor, said intermediate conductor being a substantially horizontal metal strip extending over and engaging its battery terminal and having at one edge a depending flange extending along one edge of said terminal and serving toaid in holding the battery in place.

3. A flash light comprising an exterior metallic hollow casing in sections to be opened from each other and imitating the handle and barrel portions of a pistol, a trigger connected with one of said sections, an electric lamp in said barrel portion, a battery in said handle portion having one terminal in electrical connection with said casing, an intermediate conductor at one end in engagement with the other terminal of said battery and insulated from said casing, and a conductor carried on and insulated from said trigger and having, on the pull of the trigger, a forward end to engage the lamp and a rear end to engage said intermediate conductor, said casing having secured within its rear end a conducting support recessed on its edge to receive edgewise one battery terminal and thereby establish the electrical connection of said terminal with said casing, and said intermediate conductor being a substantially horizontal metal strip extending over and engaging its battery terminal and havin@ at one edge a depending flange extending along one edge of said terminal and serving to aid in holding the battery in place.

4. A flash light comprising an exterior metallic hollow casing in sections to be opened from each other and imitating the handle and barrel portions of a pistol, a trigger connected with one of said sections, an electric lamp in said barrel portion, a battery in said handle portion having at its upper rear end a short terminal in electrical connection with said casing and at its upper front end a longer terminal bent rearwardly over the top of said battery, an intermediate conductor at one end in engagement with said longer terminal and insulated from said casing, and a conductor carried on and insulated from said trigger and having, on the pull of the trigger, a forward end to engage the lamp and a rear end to engage said intermediate conductor.

5. A flash light comprising an exterior metallic hollow casing in sections to be opened from each other and imitating the handle and barrel portions of a pistol, atrigger connected with one of said sections, an electric lamp in said barrel portion, a battery in said handle portion having at its upper rear end a short terminal in electrical connection with said casing and at its upper front end a longer terminal bent rearwardly over the top of said battery, an intermediate conductor at one end in engagement with said longer terminal and insulated from said casing, and means carried by said trigger for, on the pull of the trigger, establishing electrical connection between said conductor and the lamp.

6. A flash light comprising an exterior metallic hollow casing in sections to be opened from each other and imitating the handle and barrel portions of a pistol, a trigger connected with one of said sections, an electric lamp in said barrel ortion, a battery in said handle portion aving at its upper rear end a short terminal in electrical connection with said casing and at its upper front end a longer terminal bent rearwardly over the top of said battery, an intermediate conductor at one end in engagement with said longer terminal and insulated from said casing, and means carried by said trigger Signed at New York city, in the county for, on the pull of the trigger, establishing of New York and State of New York, this electrical connection between said Conductor 19th day of November, A. D. 1913.

and the lamp, said conductor having at one HENRY HYMAN. edge a` depending flange extending along one Vitnesses:

edge of said longer terminal and serving to ARTHUR MARION,

aid in holding the battery in place. i CHAS. C. GILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

